Historical RenovationBrereton/Liggett Building (Charter Mortgage)

Jacksonville, Florida25,000 Square feetMajor Share of a $1 Million Renovation1979

Located in the center of downtown Jacksonville, the Charter Mortgage Building was one of the first buildings constructed after the great Fire of 1901 at a cost of $12,000. The building was first occupied in 1902 by the Chadwick-Swain Furniture Company.

In the 1979 project both the interior and exterior of the building were renovated. The main feature of the renovation was a skylight providing light for a planted atrium on the ground level. The original brick walls were exposed to grace the interior, and the original 18-foot high wooded ceiling and support columns highlighted the open first floor. Because the structure of the building was entirely of wood, careful attention was given to the reinforcing of the framing around the skylight to keep the building’s structure rigid. The original heart of pine floors throughout the building were carefully patched and refinished.

The restored building was included in the Jacksonville Historical landmarks Commission’s book on 100 historical sites in the city, and ironically a Times-Union article about the Charter Mortgage renovation project was entitled "Charter plans to move into city's history." Ironic, that is, because it was later acquired by Barnett Bank, which razed the historic structure to build a parking lot.

Cost to renovate the building was approximately $35 per square foot—at the time new office construction in downtown Jacksonville was as high as $100 per square foot. (suggests the claim of urban renewal proponents that demolishing historic buildings is cheaper than restoring them are not necessarily correct.)

A four-story addition was built at the rear of the building to house mechanical equipment.

Skylights, atriums, water features were incorporated into many of Perdue’s designs in the 1970’s and 1980’s— nowadays this approach has a name, “green architecture.”

The first floor of the Charter Mortgage project was an open area with the atrium and skylight features.